Railway switch



M. GAULT 350,465

RAILWAY SWITCH March1l,'l930 Filed p 1928 s Shets-$heet 1 Mfi'ii'ih H, 193%. GAULT 1,750,465

RAILWAY SWITCH Filed Sept. 25. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAGEO GAULT, OF TAYLOR, TEXAS RAILWAY SWIT CH Application filed September 25, 1928. Serial No. 308,184.

engineer of a train approaching the switch.

Another object of the invention is to provide a switch mechanism of the character described which is of such construction that it may be readily operated by a suitable mechanism carried by the locomotive and under the control of the engineer so that in case the switch is open the engineer of the train ap- 15 proaching said switch from either direction may utilize the switching device carried by the locomotive to effect the closing of the switch before the locomotive reaches the switch.

A still further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a safety switch of such construction that it can be controlled by the engineer without leaving the locomotive to thus prevent the train from running into an open switch.

With the above and other objects in view the invention has particular relation to certain novel means of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, an example of 30 which is given in this specification and illus- 35 and the switch closed.

trated in the wherein:

Figure 1 shows a plan View of a railway showing the switch arrangement installed accompanying drawings Figure 2 shows a similar view, with the switch open.

Figure 3 shows an enlarged vlew of the switch shown closed.

0 Figure 4 shows an enlarged view thereof,

with the switch in open position, and

Figure 5 shows a vertical sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 4.

Referring now more particularly to the 5 drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate similar parts in each of the fiigures the numerals 1, 2 designate the ralls of a main line railway track and the numerals 3, 4 designate the rails of the switch track,

all of said rails being secured on the usual ties. The sections 5, 6 of the rails 2, 4 are free, and laterally slidable on the ties and terminate in the switches 7 8 respectively.

The numerals 9, 9 designate the spaced upstanding standards of the switch stand having a transverse shaft 10 rotatably mounted in suitable bearings therein and fixed to one end of this shaft is the operating lever 11 whose ends have the pedals 12,

12. Fixed to the shaft 10 between the standards 9 and depending therefrom is the arm 13 whose lower free end is pivoted to one end of the link 14. The other end of this link is connected to a transversely movable switch bar 15 which is slidable through a bearing 16 carried by the tiesbetween which said bar 15 slides. The free ends of the switches 7, 8 are pivotally connected to the bar 15. The free sections 5, 6 and the switches 7, 8 have the inwardly extending flanges 17, 18 and 19, 20 respectively. Throw levers 21, 22 are provided and are pivoted at intermediate points to the respective flanges 17, 18 adjacent the switches 7, 8. The free ends of the switches have the upstanding studs 23, 24 which work through 7 oblong bearings 25, 26 in the corresponding ends of the levers 21, 22. .The other ends of these levers converge inwardly and have the oblong bearings 27 28 which receive the studs 29, 3O upstanding from the tie beneath. Approximately midway between the free portions 5, 6 of the rails 2, 4 there is a track 31 along which the bearing block 32 is mounted to slide and a coil pull spring 33 is connected at one end to said block and its other end is attached to one of the ties toward the switclr es. A shift lever 34 is pivoted at one end to the bar 15 and is pivoted at an intermediate point to an anchor 35 and a toggle lever 36 is pivoted at one end to the block 32 and at its other end is pivotally connected to the lever 34 at a point between the anchor 35 and the other end of said lever 34. There are shifting levers 37, 38 which are pivoted at intermediate points to the ties on opposite sides of the switch and whose inner ends are pivotally connected together and also pivotally connected to the last mentioned end of said mon connecting pin for the adjacent ends of said three levers.

Actuating levers 40, 41 are provided which are pivoted at their outer ends to suitable anchors, provided for the purpose, or to the adjacent railway ties and at their inner ends to the respective outer ends of the levers 37, 38.

The switch may be operated in the usual 'ay from the switch stand by manipulating the lever 11 to shift the bar 15. As shown in Figure 3, the switch is closed. If now the bar 15 be shifted in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 3 it will operate to carry the switches 7, 8 with it into the position shown in Figure 4 and as said switches are shifted they will operate through the throw levers 21, 22 to move the free sections 5, 6 in harmony with the movement of said switches, said levers 21, 22 operating on the pins 29, 30 as fulcrums.

It is contemplated that the locomotive will be equipped with an actuating device such as a roller 42 which is mounted on a bracket 43 depending from the locomotive, said bracket and roller being vertically movable by any suitable device under the control of the engineer so that they may be moved downwardly into active position or upwardly into inactive position.

Referring now to Figure 2 and assuming that the switch has been inadvertently left open as shown in said figure when the train approaches the switch and is to move on along the main line track, when the engineer observes the switch open he can lower the roller 42 and it will strike against the lever 40, or 41 as the case may be, and throw said lever over to the left or right as the case may be and this will operate through the lever 37 or 38 and the mechanism connected therewith, as hereinabove described, to actuate the bar 15 in a direction to close the switch. In case the train approaching the switch is to be run out onto the switch track 3, 4 the roller 42 will be maintained in inactive position so as not to throw the switch. lVhen the switch is thrown into open or closed position it will be held in such position by the pull of the spring 33 the lever 36 being off of center when the switch is in either of said positions.

A cover plate 44 is provided to cover the main portion of the operative mechanism and to protect it. The levers 40, 41 work above the plane of the upper surface of the cover plate 44 so that the roller 42 will clear said plate when in active position. The plate 44 has a transversely disposed arcuate bearing 45 through which the pin 39 works.

While I have shown what I now consider to be the preferred form of the invention it is obvious that mechanical changes may be made therein and equivalents substituted for the parts shown and I reserve the right to make such mechanical changes and substitutions as may be found desirable within the principle of the invention.

hat I claim is 1. In a railway track having a switch track and a switch; a mechanism connected to the switch and through which the switch may be thrown into open or closed position said mechanism including a laterally shiftable bar to which the switch is connected, a shift le ver pivoted at an intermediate point to a fixed anchor and one end of which is pivoted to said bar, oppositely disposed shifting levers whose adjacent ends are pivotally connected to the other end of the shift lever, said shifting levers being pivoted, intermediate their ends, to fixed anchors, actuating levers pivoted at their outer ends to fixed anchors and at their inner ends to the other ends of the shifting levers, and a yieldably mounted anchor and a toggle lever, pivoted at one end, to said yieldably mounted anchor and, at its other end, to said shift lever.

2. In a railway track having a switch track and a switch; a switch throwing mechanism, said mechanism being characterized by the provision of a laterally movable shift bar connect-ed to the switch, a shift lever pivoted an intermediate point to a fixed anchor and pivoted at one end to said bar, oppositely disposed shifting levers pivoted to fixed anchors at intermediate points and whose inner ends are pivotally connected to the other end of said shift lever, and an actuating lever connected to the outer end of each shifting lever and yieldable means including a toggle lever connected to the shift lever and normally tending to prevent the operation of the switch throwing mechanism.

3. In a railway track having a switch track and switch, a mechanism connected to the switch and through which the switch may be thrown into open or closed position, said mechanism including a laterally shiftable bar to which the switch is connected, a shift lever pivoted at an intermediate point to a fixed anchor and one end of which is pivoted to said bar, oppositely disposed shifting levers whose adjacent ends are connected to the other end of the shift lever, said shifting levers being pivoted intermediate their ends to anchors, actuating levers pivotally mounted at their outer ends and connected at their inner ends to the other ends to said shifting levers, a yieldably mounted anchor and a toggle lever pivoted at one end to said yieldably mounted anchor and at its other end to the shift lever.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

MAGEO GAULT. 

